Romeo Save Me
Kaeya laughed as his two companions from Khaenri’ah cracked jokes on the carriage ride to Mondstadt. Albedo and Dainsleif, his friends, sat on the other side of the carriage and Kaeya listened in on their conversations and offered a laugh here and there, though they tended to be too specific in their field of study for Kaeya to comprehend.
He spent most of the ride, looking at the sun shining down on Mondstadt. In a few minutes, they would be arriving at Favonius academy, a prestigious school in Mondstadt for vision holders. Kaeya would’ve preferred to stay in Khaenri’ah with his father, be on the frontline of the army but the Gods had decided to bless him with a vision a few years ago so there he was. He had trained to be enrolled in the academy, as his father wished, and he qualified when he came of age in the same year as his two friends. Thankfully, Kaeya was a skilled swordsman and combining his skills with his Cryo vision made him an even better warrior.
Still, Kaeya admired the peace they had in Mondstadt. It was no doubt beautiful, unlike Khaenri’ah. He didn’t hate his home but the sunshine, the breeze made Kaeya sigh with content.
His peace was disturbed by the sound of splashing the nearby distance. He first thought was that it must be the fish. Khaenri’ah did not have fish either. But he started to hear a bit of gasps and noises of water gurgling that was probably not made by a fish but by a human. He stuck his head out of the carriage and lucky for the person drowning in the Cider Lake, Kaeya noticed their hand sticking out of the water.
Kaeya immediately yelled at the coachman to stop as he bolted out of the carriage before Dainsleif and Albedo could even stop their conversation to realize the commotion. Kaeya leaped off the shore to save the drowning person after dropping his jacket on the ground, praying they weren’t dead as their noises died down to silence. Under the water in the lake, Kaeya could see the brightest strands of red hair he had ever seen in his life. Well, yes, Khaenri’ah’s population did not have a single redhead but from the stories, he never expected it to look this beautiful like fire.
Grabbing the person’s waist, Kaeya pulled them both up to the shore again. The stranger coughed out the water they had swallowed. Kaeya caught a glimpse of a shiny eagle badge pinned on their chest. The casing, however, was recognized to be from Mondstadt so they were most likely Mondstadtian. Kaeya wondered if they were in the school too. He picked his jacket off the floor to offer to the shivering person.
The stranger noticed the jacket dangling in front of them and slapped it away, surprising Kaeya. As they tilted their head up to cast them a nasty glare, Kaeya realized that it was a boy, despite his frail looking body and delicate limbs and silky smooth hair, almost as if he was a woman. Still, even his face was so delicate, it was androgynous at best, almost like a god, a divine being. His eyes were fiery red as they stared at Kaeya with revulsion. Maybe it was the water wetting his whole body but his lips seemed so plush and soft. They curled angrily though.
The boy scoffed and stomped away in his wet clothes and soggy boots, not even sparing a word to Kaeya, especially not a word to gratitude. From the back, they could see that his luscious red hair reached down to his waist. Kaeya was too startled by the interaction to say anything, whether it was this boy’s rude attitude towards him, a stranger that had just saved his life, or perhaps was it his beauty?
Albedo and Dainsleif had finally caught up to the scene. By the time they arrived, the stranger was already long gone. Dainsleif’s voice finally snapped Kaeya out of the gaze following the boy as he walked away from them. “What was that about?” Kaeya sighed as he tried to ruffle his hair around to dry it, “No idea, I just heard someone drowning. I managed to save him but he seemed pretty upset that I did. I wonder what that was about.”
Albedo headed back to the carriage and boarded it, waiting for the other two to follow, “Well, we’re going to be late to the welcoming ceremony now. Not only that, we have to get you new clothes when we arrive too.”
They continued their journey up to Mondstadt city, which was thankfully right in front of the lake Kaeya jumped into so he didn’t have to sit another hour long in the wet clothes to get a fever.
As Khaenri’ahns, they knew they weren’t well-liked so they weren’t expecting a lot of friendly glances as they entered the city. However, one cheerful face stood out from the crowd. It took them a while to realize they were genuinely happy to see them.
It was a young woman on horseback with blond hair tied into a ponytail and a handsome, dashing outfit. Her insignia showed that she was from Mondstadt. She was attractive in a more androgynous way and if they were to only see her face, they would’ve assumed she was just a pretty man. Thinking back to the boy in the lake, Kaeya wondered if androgyny was a Mondstadtian trait.
She climbed off the horse to walk towards them and bowed, “Welcome to Mondstadt, gentlemen. I am Jean Gunnhildr of the Gunnhildr clan and president of the student council at Favonius Academy. If there’s anything at all you would like help with, please come to me. I’m sure you had an exhausting day of travel. I trust you have already received the information you need to know, such as navigating around the school, where your dormitories are.” Dainsleif shook hands with her on behalf of all of them, “Nice to meet you, Miss Jean. This is Albedo and Kaeya. Yes, we’re headed to our rooms right now.”
Jean noticed Kaeya who was soaking wet, “Oh, dear, what happened here? Kaeya Alberich, if I remember correctly? If I may, would you mind if I use my Anemo vision to dry your clothes?” Kaeya shrugged with a smile, “Sure, why not?” Dainsleif and Albedo started to walk away, telling him to meet up with them at the ceremony and Jean pulled Kaeya away to a less crowded place to use her vision.
Jean skillfully used her Anemo vision to quickly and effectively dry his wet clothes and soon, Kaeya was back to normal and without a fever. Then, another woman, with some sort of witch hat on, approached them, comfortably leaning her body against Jean’s, laughing, “Oh, Jean, are you on wind blower duty again? She’s beloved by the Hydro students, though I can see that you’re definitely Cryo, hmm? Lisa Minci. I’m not really anyone important like Jean here.”
Jean and Lisa giggled among themselves and Kaeya rolled his eyes playfully at their blatant flirting. “Anyways, what kind of accident did you get into on the first day, Kaeya Alberich of Khaenri’ah?” Despite being told all his life that people from Teyvat would hate him, Kaeya was off to a good start here with Jean and Lisa, ignoring the encounter with that odd boy though.
“Eh, I saw someone drowning in the lake and I tried to save him. He didn’t take it well though, looked at me funny and stormed off,” Kaeya explained. Lisa and Jean’s mood changed to a more serious one as they exchanged glances, “Oh, is that so? Uhm, who was that person exactly? Haha, I mean, the student council should be more responsible when it comes to accidents with students.”
Kaeya recalled, “Pretty recognizable now that I’ve seen what everyone else is supposed to look like. He had bright, red, long hair and frankly a kind of skinny body. I thought he was a girl at first but nah, just a pretty face apparently.” Lisa and Jean looked at each other again, before turning back to smile at him, “I see. Thank you for reporting that to us, Kaeya. Now, there’s still some time to kill before the ceremony. Why don’t you look around and get used to the castle grounds until then, hmm? I have a lot of things to handle as the president. It was nice meeting you.”
Like that, they took off, leaving Kaeya alone. Kaeya wandered around the expansive castle grounds, gazing up at the towers evident of Mondstadt architecture. It was fairly early in the morning, mist on grass blades and the sun still hidden behind the massive building that was the school. Albedo and Dainsleif would be around but they were unpacking in their own rooms. Kaeya didn’t mind. A stroll around the castle grounds alone was much appreciated.
“Hey! I demand you to stop right now! Leave them alone!” screamed a sharp voice from a distance. A cruel laugh was heard in response, “Or what? You’ll tell your daddy?” Kaeya quickly sprang to witness the commotion, if it would be someone that needed his help.
Kaeya followed the voices and arrived at a place next to the path on the ground. The fight seemed to be happening in some sort of glasshouse garden filled with Cecilias. Kaeya’s eyes immediately registered the red hair of the victim in the fight being held back by much larger men through the glass. That was the boy that he had saved from back at the lake. He wondered how he immediately got himself into another problem.
He grumbled as he tried to fight back. The ring leader seemed to be the man standing in front of him with minty turquoise hair, who was cruelly laughing and mocking the poor boy, as he stomped his foot heavily on the white flowers in the garden. The redheaded boy watched in agony as the flowers withered underneath the man’s foot, who seemed to be using his Cryo vision to shatter the already broken petals into pieces.
“I swear, you will pay for this, Dottore,” the boy spat with anger and hate burning in his eyes. He may seem physically helpless but he showed no sign of emotionally surrendering to the man, whose name Kaeya had learned to be Dottore. The man wore the uniform given to Snezhnayan students, except with a fancy insignia of a bird of some sort. It seemed to be a peacock. Kaeya wondered if he was someone important. Again, Khaenri’ah was detached and so was he so if it was someone politically important, Kaeya was none the wiser.
Then, Dottore sharply landed a harsh slap across Diluc’s face and Kaeya felt his blood boil. It had gone too far. Kaeya saw red as soon as Dottore’s hand first touched the redhead’s delicate face. He barged into the greenhouse to intervene, “Unhand him at once.” His right hand was ready to summon his sword.
Dottore along with his men and his victim looked at the entrance to see Kaeya, a stranger to them all. Dottore’s destruction of the flowers ceased and he turned around to face Kaeya, who sternly held a mean glare at him. Dottore’s eyes immediately traveled to his uniform and realized he was Khaenri’ahn.
“And who might you be? I can see that you’re one of those new Khaenri’ahn freaks they accepted this year. You would be foolish to be all up in my business,” snarled Dottore. Kaeya did not back down, “I don’t know what problem you have with him but I can see that you’re hurting him, and the flowers. So, let him go or I’ll have to use brute force.”
Dottore laughed, “Well, that sounds like quite the challenge, Khaenri’ahn…Very well. If you wish to use brute force, then so be it. We will settle this matter with a duel.” Kaeya narrowed his eyes suspiciously, “What sort of duel?” Kaeya could see the redheaded boy sighed hopelessly behind him. If there was to be a duel, Kaeya didn’t want to disappoint him. He wanted to win, for him.
“A battle using our preferred weapons and vision, of course. All disputes here at Favonius Academy are settled using this immediate method of utmost justice. We both say our wishes and the loser will do as the winner wishes.”
Kaeya relaxed his hand, keeping his strength for the duel that was apparently happening, “Very well, I will duel with you, Dottore.” The other man smiled a sinister one, “Kuni, would you come here and help me with this? And you three, take my little prince to the arena. There will be a battle for his favor soon.” Like that, the redheaded boy was escorted away by Dottore’s minions and he glared at Dottore one last time before he was out of Kaeya’s sight.
Another boy, shorter than them all, even shorter than the redhead which seemed impossible, grumpily came into the garden with a stern look on his face. He must’ve been there since before Kaeya barged in but he didn’t notice back then.
The boy turned to Kaeya, “Your name?” to which he replied, “Kaeya Alberich.” Kuni nodded as he took his position between the two of them, “Duel between Il Dottore and Kaeya Alberich, overseen by Raiden Kunikuzushi. Both, state your wishes for this duel.”
Dottore confidently started first, “Kaeya Alberich’s immediate expulsion from Favonius Academy.” Kaeya’s eyes widened. It would be bad if he got expelled from the school. His father would be devastated. “Is that even allowed?” Kunikuzushi shrugged, “As he said, all disputes are settled this way. It would be allowed if the terms of this duel are agreed by you both.” Dottore laughed, interrupting them, “Of course, if you’re such a pussy, you are free to withdraw and I will go back to treating that little bastard the way I want without you interfering.”
Kaeya’s mood soured once again, “No…no, I don’t think I’ll be quitting. If I win, you will apologize to him and never speak or touch him like that again.” Kunikuzushi nodded, finalizing the contract as the overseer, with a quiet ‘Ad Astra Abyssosque’.
“Very well, the ceremony is soon and I have just enough time to put you in your place until then. Come along, to the arena.”
Word of their duel must’ve spread quickly as students were starting to crowd to watch them. Kunikuzushi was already at the sideline with Jean, confirming that their duel was already set. She worriedly looked over to Jean, to which he only nervously waved.
Kaeya noticed the redhead on the other side of the arena, being forced to watch their duel. Even though it was a big venue, he stood out from the rest, easy to notice. Kaeya gulped. This would be the second time Kaeya would be saving him that day.
The two warriors went up to confront each other as the sun was just starting to rise over the realm, bathing the dueling arena in a golden glow. Dottore was apparently a catalyst user, a powerful and skilled mage. He waved a dazzling magic catalyst with Snezhnayan designs., and Kaeya drew his gleaming sword from its sheath.
They faced one another in the arena and had stern attitudes. As they got ready to start their combat, the atmosphere was tense. Dottore cracked a smile, confident that he would come out victorious, “I see you’re just some lowly Khaenri’ahn, huh? Didn’t you know you filth shouldn’t disrespect someone of my rank? No honorable title and most definitely no honorable sword either.”
“My father was a soldier in the Khaenri’ahn army and my sword was passed down to me from him. Neither of that may mean much to those from Teyvat though,” retorted Kaeya. Dottore only laughed, “Y’know, that boy you’re trying to take away from me, my boy, is an important asset to the Tsaritsa, of which I worked very hard to attain. Well, I’ll teach you a lesson to stay out of our business.”
Kaeya did not give him the satisfaction of letting Dottore see him affected by his words. His eyes darted for a split second to the boy with fiery red hair. This was not about Dottore and what he thought about Khaenri’ah. This was about him. Kaeya needed to avenge this stranger, this very beautiful stranger that might hate him as much as Dottore did. “I don’t appreciate you treating him like a mere object for your political affairs, whatever they may be. And I’m not trying to take him away from you. You’re just sick and he doesn’t even seem to like you. Once I win, you are to apologize to him.”
The other scoffed, “If you win. And trust me, I’m not an easy opponent. When I win, you will know your place and never speak to me or Diluc again. I know he’s a tempting little thing but he’s mine.” So, Diluc was his name.
Dottore was the first to attack, pelting Kaeya with a hail of magic bolts. Kaeya was prepared as the bolts advanced, leaving a path of shimmering light in their wake. He skillfully avoided the bolts with a flick of the wrist, his blade gliding through the air as he drew closer to Dottore. Kaeya was not aware of how cautious he had to be in a fight with Dottore but he did not either underestimate or overestimate him. It wasn’t a tough start but he knew it would take a lot more to win against him.
Dottore reacted with a potent spell that delivered a wind blast that knocked Kaeya backwards. However, Kaeya quickly bounced back, standing up, and initiating a counterattack. As he surged forward, throwing down blows on Dottore with intensity and accuracy, his blade gleamed in the early morning light. The two made use of their vision, which were both Cryo so there was no superior elemental reaction between them.
The two combatants' movements were incredibly quick as they engaged in a tornado of steel and magic. A stunning exhibition of strength and prowess was produced when Kaeya's sword strikes clashed with Dottore's magic bolts and ice blasts. The crowd could be constantly heard gasping at every turn in the battle. Kaeya hoped the one person was watching as intently though.
The two warriors continued their struggle, both determined to win, as the spectators watched in admiration. Although Dottore's magic was strong, Kaeya's swordplay was unrivaled, fusing his attacks with ice and snow. The two warriors traded blows after blows, each trying to gain the upper hand.
The fight reached its peak as the sun rose higher in the sky. Dottore and Kaeya were engaged in a ferocious fight, their weapons smashing in a flurry of sparks. Kaeya unleashed one final shout before lunging forward and slicing Dottore's magic catalyst with a powerful clang.
The two warriors stood motionless with their weapons still in fight as there was a brief moment of calm. Dottore's magic catalyst then broke with a loud snap, sending magical energy shards shooting through the air. This turn of events especially surprised everyone, even the two who were fighting.
Dottore staggered back in defeat as Kaeya triumphantly stood up, with just a bit of shock and adrenaline on his face. The crowd cheered and applauded, praising the swordsman's guts and prowess for having prevailed. Others in the corners grumbled, disapproving of the Khaenri’ahn’s hard earned victory.
Dottore was left standing there, broken beneath the weight of his once-proud magic catalyst. He looked bitterly at Kaeya, the victorious swordsman. He snarled, his voice bitter with hate, "This isn't over, Khaenri’ahn. Diluc, I will get him back from you.”
Kaeya simply stood there and gave the defeated man a cool-headed glare. He didn't display any signs of anxiety or panic despite the threat. His voice was low and firm, and his eyes were narrowed as he talked. “Diluc, huh? That’s quite the pretty name, very fitting. But he is not fitting at all for you. I trust you will comply with the conditions of our duel. You will apologize to Diluc and harass him no more.” The blade of Kaeya’s sword stayed unmoving next to Dottore’s neck, who was heaving for breath from their intense battle.
With his sword still in hand and a smug grin on his face, Kaeya approached Diluc with confidence after defeating Dottore in a just and noble combat. He wasn’t sure what to expect from him, considering their earlier interactions but maybe saving him from that obviously horrid bastard would make Diluc like him more.
Kaeya almost opened his mouth as he finally reached Diluc, but Diluc interrupted whatever he had to say, with a kiss on his mouth. Kaeya was startled, shocked, surprised, amazed even. The person that glared at him for saving him from drowning, the person he fought a maniac from Snezhnaya over, was kissing him, in front of the entire student body too.
Diluc finally let go of the hold he had on Kaeya’s shirt collar and Kaeya was out of breath at that point. While he was still catching his breath, Diluc was working on putting the peacock insignia on his chest. The boy, unlike himself, looked up at Kaeya happily, “Congratulations on winning, my love.”
My love?
Kaeya’s brain was long fried. Dottore’s weird magic must’ve caused a few screws to go loose in his head. The students were gasping and whispering among themselves about the two kissing. Not to mention how controversial it must be, a Khaenri’ahn with Diluc.
Diluc sweetly hooked their arms together and walked Kaeya to behind a building. Kaeya only followed because his brain was still occupied with processing the kissing and everything else that he could only helplessly walk where Diluc guided him.
But eventually, he did get brought back to consciousness as Diluc slammed him against the brick wall. “I’ll make it clear, Khaenri’ahn,” started Diluc and Kaeya was taken aback by the immediate sour attitude. “You being my groom doesn't mean anything. I plan to run away and we won’t get married so don’t think just because you can marry me to get the throne. And yes, I will be depriving you of whatever you desire from me so you are free to mingle with whoever you want, I don’t care. Just don’t try anything with me.”
Groom? Run away? What?
“Still…I must thank you for getting rid of Dottore. I’m not that much fond of you but truth be told, I’m glad that vile man no longer has the entitlement of my future husband. Frankly, I should be offended that you thought of me as so helpless because I’m not but whatever, what’s done is done and he’s gone so I’ll tolerate that for you. Now, we will keep up our…relationship for appearances and that is all we’ll ever be. Do you understand me, Kaeya Alberich?”
Diluc was small and kind of cute but he could be threatening apparently, so Kaeya only meekly nodded, as if he understood. Diluc backed off and scoffed as he left Kaeya there, still pressed up against the wall. “Good, wear that peacock insignia everywhere you go. Accompany me to the opening ceremony and don’t be late!” yelled Diluc as he made his exit.
Except Kaeya didn’t understand. He didn’t understand at all. It all sounded like a bunch of nonsense where Kaeya apparently got betrothed to the crown prince of Mondstadt who was apparently Diluc, the boy he saved that morning from drowning, by winning a duel against his last fiance, who was very evil and abused Diluc?
Kaeya sighed, depressed. This was all too much for the first day of school, and had no chance of being anything beyond a sick dream Kaeya had dreamt up. Right?
He picked himself up from the floor. He was supposed to meet up with Albedo and Dainsleif for the opening ceremony but now, apparently, he was Diluc’s date to that thing. He had better hurry before his now prince yelled at him more…